We have been informed that a high number of applications were rejected in the first round of the Tower Hamlets Small Grants Scheme. We would like to understand why that is and work with the council to improve the process so that an increased number of small voluntary & community groups can benefit from the small grants going forward.

Please let us know how the application process was for you. Whether you were successful or unsuccessful in applying for the Mayors Community Grants or Small Grants programmes please fill out this survey. This is so that THCVS can advocate for any improvements, to ensure that the money is allocated to the voluntary & community groups that do so much vital work in the borough.

Tuesdays 4.30 to 6.30pm / for ages 12 to 15 or 7.00 to 9.00pm for ages 15 to 18.

elop youth groups are now back! Join in for a relaxed and friendly LGBTQ+ youth space. Enjoy activities, connect with others, hang out and have fun!

Contact youth@elop.org or 07720 461158 for more information and location details. 

Monday 29 July / 12.00 to 12.30pm / Online

elop has been supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans+ people since 1995 through direct mental health and wellbeing support and training and education services. Their services evolve to ensure they continue to best meet the needs of our communities. Join Quick Connect sessions to hear about how elop currently support LGBT+ people, referral pathways and professional development and training opportunities for your team. It’s also an opportunity to connect with others attending and strengthen your local knowledge.

The Equalities Hub is key to the new direction for the Council’s equalities provision, providing a central strategic focus, responding to the community’s needs and issues. The Hub will be vital to bringing about a more coordinated approach to equalities in the borough. If you want to find out more on how to get involved or if you have information you would like to share with the networks please get in touch.

Working in partnership with volunteers from City law firms, St Hilda’s East provides pro-bono legal advice clinics at both its Sonali Gardens Centre and Club Row sites. 

Running alongside St. Hilda’s East’s Daytime Advice Service, the legal clinics offer support with matters related to housing, welfare benefits, consumer and contract and employment. The legal advice clinics cannot help with settlement agreements, immigration, family, crime or debt matters.  

The service is for those with an annual salary of £50k or below, as St. Hilda's East aim to support those who would otherwise be unable to afford legal representation.  

Wednesday Legal Clinic at St Hilda’s East Sonali Gardens (Tower Hamlets residents only): 6.00 to 8.00pm / last appointment 7.30pm / 79 Tarling Street, London, E1 0AT / drop-in service, first-come first-seen.

Thursday Legal Clinic at St Hilda’s East Club Row (Tower Hamlets, Hackney or Newham residents only): 6.00 to 8.00pm / last appointment 7.30pm / 18 Club Row, London, E2 7EY / drop-in Service, first come first seen 
There are a limited number of appointments available for both clinics. We apologise if there is a wait for you to receive support.  

If you have any questions about the legal clinics, give us a call on 020 7739 8066, or email mail@sthildas.org.uk. Please note, St. Hilda's do not offer pre-booked appointments for either of the legal clinics. 

Having a chat with an old friend or checking in on your elderly neighbour can make a big difference to their wellbeing. Even the smallest gesture can create a meaningful connection for someone, especially if they’re feeling lonely or isolated.

Just Say Hello is a new local campaign about encouraging conversations and connecting with one other, by taking time out to say ‘hello.’ Partners, organisations or members of the community across Tower Hamlets are being invited to use the Just Say Hello resources in their own way – whether it’s attending an event at a local community centre, hosting a ‘pop up’ coffee shop with your neighbours or dropping into a new class, there are many ways to make new connections. Click here for more information and resources.

If you are feeling isolated and in need of mental health support, there are local services that can support you:

• Tower Hamlets Talking Therapies provides a range of psychological therapies and counselling services - 020 8475 8080
• Mind in Tower Hamlets provide advice and support, as well as free counselling for residents - 020 7510 4247/4248
• If you are feeling overwhelmed or struggling with your mental health, you can call the Tower Hamlets Mental Health Crisis Support number for free 24/7 on 0800 073 0003 

Click here for the new social isolation and loneliness directory. This guide summarises activities available for adult residents in Tower Hamlets, available through the VCS sector.

Wednesday 17 July / 10.30am to 1.00pm / on Zoom

Knowing the difference that your volunteer programme makes to volunteers, service users and your organisation is crucial in today’s competitive environment. It can help to secure funding, recruit more volunteers and improve your services. Having strong data and examples will help your organisation to stand out from the crowd.

On this course, you’ll learn how to create an evaluation plan that will enable you to understand and demonstrate the difference your volunteer programme makes. We will look at what “making a difference” means (to whom and how), developing realistic and measurable outcomes for your volunteer programme, practical and user-friendly tools for gathering information, including digital tools and how to analyse and communicate the results of your impact assessment.

This session is suitable for experienced Volunteer Managers as well as those who are new to managing volunteers. Priority will be given to voluntary sector organisations with a base/office in Tower Hamlets, or that have services aimed at Tower Hamlets residents. Please email evelyn@vcth.org.uk if you have any questions.

North East London Training Hub in collaboration with North East London Health and Care Partnership are pleased to offer new Suicide Prevention training dates for 2024/25. Training open to all staff, students and carers in North East London.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST): Multiple dates available: A few funded places remain for this GOLD standard World Health Organisation endorsed Suicide Prevention course. ASIST is intensive 2 day training for care-givers and key community members. Click here to find out more and register.

Suicide First Aid Lite (virtually delivered 4hr workshop) / Multiple dates available: SFA Lite is comprised of 4 hours, interactive, small group workshop accredited by City & Guilds. The programme teaches the skills needed to identify someone who may be thinking about suicide and to pass the person onto a suicide first aider. Click here to find out more and register.

The ASK Workshop: Assessing for Suicide in Kids (face to face) / Multiple dates available: This one day workshop is targeted at staff working with and caring for children age 5 to 15 years of age. Click here to find out more and register

safeTALK - Suicide Prevention awareness training (face to face) / Multiple dates available: safeTALK is a half-day training in suicide alertness. It helps participants recognise a person with thoughts of suicide and connect them with resources who can help them in choosing to live. Click here to find out more and register.

Demystifying Self-Harm (Virtually delivered 3 hours) / Multiple dates available: This workshop will allow the space for participants to have open conversations about self-harm, including unpacking our own feelings and attitudes around self-harm (including thinking about our own faith, beliefs, life experience) and acknowledge them so that we are informed of how they may present and impact the support we provide. Click here to find out more and register.

For more information and other mental health and suicide prevention training, please visit www.nelsuicidepreventiontraining.co.uk.  Please promote across your organisations and networks. 

You are invited to participate in a short survey (approximately 10 minutes) to share your experiences and reflections on peer and community research (P&C research) in Tower Hamlets. Whether you are a peer/community researcher or part of an organisation such as the local authority or a community organisation, your input is crucial.

The survey aims to understand current P&C research activity in Tower Hamlets and will help co-produce a model for the Tower Hamlets Health Determinants Research Collaboration (HDRC). More information about the HDRC can be found here.

As a thank you, you will be entered into a prize draw for a £50 shopping voucher.  Please share this survey invitation with other P&C researchers and organisations involved in P&C research.

The voices of people who draw on care and support are often missing from conferences and events. Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) are working with Social Care Future to change this, and they would like your help.

Ensuring that the voices of people who draw on care and support are present at events is crucial in shaping policies and practices that reflect people's wishes and aspirations, so that everyone can have the care and support they need to be able to live their life their way. The aim of this project is to make it easier for event organisers so that more people’s voices are heard at conferences and events.

If you have lots of experience of contributing to events or conferences you can complete a short survey to share your experience and ideas. Please email Angela Catley for the survey at angelacatleywork@outlook.com.

If you know of any great tools, resources, or guidance which event or organisers or contributors might benefit from using or any great event venues, please email Angela.

Guide the Development of Healthwatch Tower Hamlets Research Projects for 2024-25! Healthwatch Tower Hamlets is inviting you to share your views on the topics and issues in the local health and social care services that currently matter to you the most. They are doing this to ensure that their research work remains relevant and aligns with the public's opinions. This is an important aspect of their approach and achieving maximum impact for the patient voice.

This survey is for anyone who lives, studies, or works in Tower Hamlets. It is 100% confidential and anonymous and you do not have to answer any questions if you do not wish. The feedback from this survey will be used to support the development of our research projects that we may carry out with the aim of improving people's health and wellbeing. 

If you have any questions about this survey, call 0800 145 5343 or email info@healthwatchtowerhamlets.co.uk.

St Margaret’s House in Bethnal Green, an arts and wellbeing community hub, has office space for rent! If you’re looking to move your office, get in touch! The room is available immediately. Please pass to any other organisations you know who are looking for office space.

• 99sqm office
• Suitable for 10-20 people working
• Large open plan working space, with a small meeting room attached.
• First floor
• £2,619.54 pm / £31,434.48 pa
• Step-free access can be made available

Thursday 4 July /6.00 to 8.00pm / Four Corners / 121 Roman Road, E2 0QN

Opening at Four Corners Gallery, 'I Am Who I Am Now': Selections from the Bengali Photo Archive offers a unique insight into the everyday life of the Bengali East End of London. This exhibition focuses on everyday photographs taken of and by Bengali people over the past 50 years. From snapshots of family life to documents of the transformative power of community spaces, 'I Am Who I Am Now' illuminates the intricate interplay between individual experiences and the broader socio-political landscape in the East End.

The exhibition runs until 3 August at Four Corners.

Thursday 11 July / 10.30 am to 1.30 pm / 83 St. Pauls Way Centre, E3 4AJ / Women only

Are you tired of feeling exhausted, burnt out, and frustrated with those around you? Do negative thoughts and self-doubt hold you back from living your best life?It's time to make a change! You are invited to attend a amazing Free Workshop designed to help you reconnect with yourself, find inner joy, and build the confidence needed to thrive in every aspect of life. This Free Mindset Coaching Session will help you to discover how to:

• Fall in love with your whole self
• Become your own cheerleader
• Boost your confidence
• Live in the present moment
• Cultivate an abundance mindset

For more information and to book your space, email stpaulswaycentre@poplarharca.co.uk or ready@shahidarashid.com or call 0207 5105 5600 / 07747 394665

Launch event: Monday 8 July / @11am / CREATE Community Hub, 35 Ronald Street, E1 0DT

The ICM Foundation CIC are pleased to announce our Connecting Communities Summer Roadshow of activities and events in Tower Hamlets in July, August and September.

Join them at the launch event to find out more about what activities you can sign up to. There will be some refreshments and a chance to meet new people and see your friends and find out more about our summer program. Whether you want to play football, do some gardening, cook, play music, get fit in the gym, dance, enjoy aromatherapy, learn to spin hoops or join us on a treasure hunt, there is something for everyone to enjoy.

All activities are free and you can bring someone along to support you.
Let us know you can join us and we look forward to showing you all the different things you can do this summer in Tower Hamlets.

For more information and to register, please contact Dawud Marsh on 07957322195 / dawud.marsh@icmfoundation.org.uk.

Thursday 18 July / 1.00 to 4.00pm / Mile End Hospital, Garden Area, E1 4DG

Back again for another year, join Tower Hamlets Together in a summer afternoon connecting and learning with our wonderful teams and services across our Tower Hamlets health and care partnership!

Meet people working across Tower Hamlets, learn about each other's programmes and services, and enjoy refreshments, lunch, giveaways, wellbeing activities, and games in the Mile End Hospital Gardens. Open to all staff working in health & care setting in Tower Hamlet – do share widely. Limited places – register early!

Wednesday 3 July / 2.00 to 6.00pm / Tower Hamlets Town Hall, Grocers Wings 1, 2 & 3, 160 Whitechapel Rd, E1 1BJ

Join the Tower Hamlets Together - Health Care Careers and Jobs Fair 2024, an exciting event focused on health care careers. Whether you're a student exploring options or a professional looking for new opportunities, this fair is the perfect place to connect with potential employers and learn about different career paths in the health care industry. Don't miss this chance to network, attend informational sessions, and discover your next career move. See you there!

Wakefield Tetley Trust Small Grants opened on Thursday 16 May to small charities, community groups and CIC, especially those working at grassroots and community level who support marginalised communities and individuals. Charities and community groups working with marginalised communities may be under financial stress, so they will fund project costs or core costs including staff salaries and running costs.

Wakefield Tetley Trust offer grants from £500 to £6,000. Please note that grants of £6,000 will be exceptional; most awards will average £3,000. Please keep this in mind when making your application and get in touch first to if you intend to apply for the maximum amount.

Organisations with an annual turnover under £600,000 and a track record of delivery in Tower Hamlets are eligible to apply. Guidance and application forms are available here. Most applications are assessed within 6 weeks.

Deadline Applications can be submitted from 16 May and the programme will close when funds are allocated and no later than 4 November. The deadlines for applications are:

• Submit by Monday 08 July, for a decision by Friday 2 August
  
• Submit by Monday 02 September, for decision on Tuesday 24 September
• Submit by Monday 04 November, for decision at Tuesday 3 December
  

Applications are now open for the Old Ford Community Grants Programme 2024! The Panel are excited to launch the 2024 programme to help provide residents of Tower Hamlets and Havering more opportunities to make a difference in our local community.

Grant Aims:

• To reduce the impact of financial difficulties on residents.
• To improve the health and wellbeing of residents.
• To encourage and support residents to connect and help each other.
  

Residents can apply for any of the following Grant strands:

• Micro Grants – (up to £1,000): The £1,000 fund could support with hosting a community event, buying equipment for group activities or pilot a smaller scale project. An external organisation (Account3) will be available to help residents who are not part of an organised group.
• Resident Led Ideas – (up to £5,000): Residents submit their ideas which are matched with an organisation that will be funded to help deliver the project on the ground.
• Grants to organisations – (up to £5,000): Grants of up to £5,000 will be available for organisations suggested by local residents in Tower Hamlets and Havering.
  How to apply

Residents can email Lilly.Matthews@clarionhg.com for an application form or call 020 3839 1532 for an informal chat.

Deadline to apply: Thursday 18 July

This programme is aimed at registered charities and CICs which are led by and working for Deaf and Disabled people. Your organisation will work directly with Deaf and Disabled people over the long term to support them to have more choice and control over their lives, access their rights and entitlements and challenge the barriers they face.

Your work will be based on a social model of disability and you will be able to show how this understanding shapes the work that you do, and enables people to have their voices heard.

Successful applicants will receive a grant of £75,000, over three years (£25,000 per year). The grant will be unrestricted, so organisations awarded funding will be able to use the grant to support any costs that further your organisation’s social purpose.

Deadline for applications: Wednesday, 28 August @5pm

Skipton Building Society Charitable Foundation aims to improve the wellbeing, welfare and education of children and adults in communities throughout the UK by making donations of up to £6,000 to registered charities whose purpose is to:

• Benefit children and adults particularly those living in socially deprived areas, through education to develop core skills and support wellbeing and mental health.
• Benefit the wellbeing and welfare of children and adults by preventing or reducing poverty and homelessness in the community.
• Support the elderly and improve their wellbeing by reducing isolation, helping reduce the effects of Dementia and Alzheimer's and support later life/palliative care.

The trustees meet quarterly: at the beginning of March, June, September and December. Submission deadlines for each meeting can be found here.